Recap: Warriors 111, Suns 107

April 05, 2013|Reuters

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Recap: Warriors 111, Suns 107

Warriors 111, Suns 107: Klay Thompson broke out of a slump with 25 points and Stephen Curry collected 18 points and a career high-tying 15 assists as visiting Golden State used a big second half to hold off Phoenix.

David Lee added 22 points and 14 rebounds and Jarrett Jack scored 14 for the Warriors, who moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Houston Rockets for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets play later Friday at Portland.

Goran Dragic matched a career-high with 32 points on 11-of-13 shooting and Michael Beasley had 25 off the bench as the Suns dropped their eighth straight game. Phoenix is in last place in the Western Conference and dropped all four in the season series against Golden State.

The Warriors held a 100-91 lead after Jack's jumper with 5:13 left but could not put the Suns away. Dragic responded with a 3-pointer and Beasley capped an 11-4 burst with two straight baskets to pull Phoenix within 104-102 with 1:29 to play.

Jack hit a 3-pointer to stretch it back to a five-point lead before Dragic and Jermaine O'Neal combined to hit three free throws to trim it back to 107-105 with 17 seconds left. Curry and Jack each hit two free throws in the final 14 seconds and Phoenix could not recover.

Dragic came out on fire and scored 15 points in the first quarter while Beasley hit a buzzer-beating 45-foot shot to give the Suns a 37-23 lead after the first quarter. Dragic ended up 7-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line in the first half as Phoenix shot 65.8 percent to take a 64-55 lead at the break.

Thompson started to heat up in the third quarter as the Suns cooled off. The second-year guard scored 15 points in the period as the Warriors outscored Phoenix 32-14 to take a nine-point edge into the final quarter.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Thompson has made 195 3-pointers in 2012-13, which is second in team history behind Curry's 243 this season. The two are the top single-season 3-point tandem in NBA history. ... Lee leads the NBA with 51 double-doubles and has a league-best 29 games with at least 20 points and 10 boards. Dragic first scored 32 points in a loss at the Utah Jazz on Jan. 25, 2010. ... The Warriors, who can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Jazz on Sunday, had a season-high 15 steals, led by four apiece from Thompson and Curry.